Spring is springing . . . Mother Nature has messed up her calendar

Ladybirds, tree blossom, hazel flowers and snowdrops are all signalling that nature thinks spring is already springing – because this winter the West Country has been nowhere near cold enough.

The Woodland Trust is warning that nature could be tricked into thinking winter is already over, as temperatures remain well above freezing in a succession of mild but wet storms that have swept over the region since early December.

There have already been two sightings of ladybirds, including one in the West, and butterflies are being spotted across the country.

At Lacock Abbey in Wiltshire, scores of snowdrops are beginning to fill the abbey grounds, at least a couple of weeks earlier than normal, and there have been 44 sightings of hazel flowering and 13 sightings of elder buds around Britain.

That is potentially bad news for wildlife, if the wind changes and we get a cold snap similar to last year’s.

Dr Kate Lewthwaite, Woodland Trust nature’s calendar project manager, said: “People may be surprised to see such spring-like activity in January but Woodland Trust data confirms that it has become more and more common over the last decade or so.

“What this highlights is the importance of having diverse, inter-connected habitats which allow species to react to any changes in climate and adjust accordingly.

“With habitats coming under ever greater threat and fragmentation, the pressure on our native flora and fauna will only increase,” she added.

The Woodland Trust is urging the Government to increase protection for ancient woodland in England to help the many species which rely on it for survival.

Matthew Oates, from the National Trust, said “proper” winter weather with plunging temperatures was needed soon, or wildlife would be fooled into thinking it was spring and could then be caught out later in the season by a cold snap.

“There is real danger that the year will launch into another very early spring; and an early spring usually ends in tears,” he said.

He added that “if it wasn’t for the incessant rain, spring would be romping ahead” but plants had been slowed down by saturated conditions. Both people and nature had had enough of the rain, he added.

Dr Lewthwaite said climate scientists were predicting more “stop-start” springs, in which the UK could see very mild conditions in January and then a return to more typical weather later in the season.

And she warned that the UK had a highly fragmented landscape which made it hard for species to adapt to changes in the climate, for example by making it difficult to move to more suitable areas.

“We’re making it harder for our wildlife by cutting our natural habitat into smaller and smaller pieces,” she warned.

Along with efforts to tackle carbon emissions such as improving energy efficiency, there was a need to make the landscape more interconnected by linking up habitat to give wildlife a better chance to move and adapt to climate change, she said.